Actually, Love

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Actually, Love is a new play produced by Goya Theatre and written by Sam Woof who also stars in the piece along with Jordan Broatch. It runs at Pleasance Courtyard until the 27th.

The show begins in a music studio as we meet the pessimistic Alex who is attempting to write a love song which will make them money, Alex’s session is interrupted when a former partner, Stevie walks in having booked the space to rehearse their lines for a audition as the lead in a big budget Hollywood romcom much to Alex’s dismay. The pair reunite by running the lines for this audition together and they explore the typical cliches that are associated with romcoms, from the initial awkward meeting to the gay best friend bursting with stereotypes, the latter of which leads to a hilarious song poking fun at these outdated stereotypes.

The performances from the pair are perfect as they perform these roles with such passion and heart, both of them produce goosebump-inducing vocals at various moments in the show which add to the huge heart at the centre of this piece.

The writing for this show is perfect and it is beautiful to see a queer romance portrayed in such a normal way, the show at the same time parodying the romcom genre but also making it it’s own. At this point, the show is sparse with only a piano (played brilliantly throughout by Woof) and two office chairs and as this show progresses, I am so excited to see what it will become (although the sparseness of the set really helps highlight the heart of the piece).

As someone who has lived in Oxford all my life, I am so happy to see a local theatre company produce such amazing theatre and I cannot wait to see what they produce next and to see their other show ‘Four Felons and a Funeral’ tomorrow.